Cold winds blew over the sea, and relentless waves battered a massive port. There were shattered, abandoned ships, and a few that were still docked. On the shoreline, chaos reigned—not just chaos, but a full-scale battle between human soldiers, dwarves, and other races against demons. It was a brutal clash, and all that could be seen was blood-red ground. Even the waves crawling onto the shore had taken on a crimson hue from the land.
"Hold your ground, soldiers! Reinforcements are coming!" shouted a knight with a fierce look in his eyes.
At that moment, a featureless demon leapt at him. Its skin was pale, with two long horns and a tail. It charged at the knight with a spear, but all the demon saw was a massive blade slicing through its skull, splitting it in two. It collapsed to the ground and disintegrated into dust.
"These Nardiss... they're so damn annoying," muttered the knight as he kicked the demon's corpse away.
The Nardiss—instinct-driven demons more beast than demon—had no defined gender. They were creatures born of Nemesis power and formed the second-largest faction on Diablos Island after the Crossif. Judging by the size of their forces in this battle, their numbers were overwhelming. There were a few Crossif present, but most of what could be seen were Nardiss.
"There's just too many of them…" muttered one of the mages, a Bunnien, as he cast spells on the demons advancing toward him.
"Just hold the line… for Pascal! For the kingdom!!"
At that moment, large numbers of Nardiss disembarked from their ships and charged toward the port. It seemed the demons were the ones who'd received reinforcements—not the Yarum soldiers. They descended like savages, wielding spears and daggers, running into battle like they were programmed for it. They quickly adapted and clashed fiercely with their enemies.
After a long period of intense fighting, in which the Yarum soldiers lost most of their forces, the troops began to fall. Some lay dead, others feigned death out of exhaustion. It was a clear loss—and it seemed the Myria incident was about to repeat itself. As the demons realized their dominance, they began to roar and beat their chests, mouths full of sharp teeth stretched wide in terrifying grins. This was their victory cry, marking their control.
Far from the battlefield, inside one of the camp's tents, the heroes had gathered around a table where Kaily displayed a map of the port. Everyone around her was focused as the priestess explained her strategy for the battle, pointing at various areas on the map.
"Alright, just like the last battle, you'll be divided into groups. The first group will be led by Linda. Her members are Stephanie, Malin, and two hundred soldiers. The second group will be led by John. with Susan, Kevin, and three hundred soldiers. The final group will be led by Sebastian, with Tom and four hundred soldiers. I think the distribution is well organized. And don't forget—I'll be there to treat serious injuries," Kaily said swiftly.
"And also, don't forget to follow the plan," she added.
Everyone began to leave the tent quickly, weapons in hand, ready to face the demons. Excitement surged to a fever pitch—every one of them was eager to crush the demons and return for a swift celebration.
"Lady Kaily, that's a brilliant plan. How come you're not a strategist?" Linda asked as she equipped her gear.
"Well, actually... my father always dreamed of having a son to inherit the title of Blessed Priest. But he had a daughter instead. He gave up and told me to become whatever I wanted… but I could see the sadness in his eyes. So I dedicated my life to becoming his successor and earning the Blessed Priest title—to make him proud," Kaily replied.
"I hope you get that title," Linda said as she finished preparing, then left the tent.
"Protect us, Moon Goddess. Bless us with your light in this dark war," Kaily murmured as she stepped out of the tent and heard the screams from the battlefield.
◆ ◆ ◆
A large amount of blood had been spilled across the ground, and many Nardiss demon corpses lay scattered. Then, a young man with short silver hair stepped forward, wearing white armor and a blue scarf—and wielding a black blade that cut down everything in his path. It was Tom, the second member of the third group under Sebastian's command.
"There's so many of them," Tom noted as he cleaved the head off another demon with his dark blade.
"That's what the Duke said," muttered Runari as she stabbed a demon that was about to strike Sebastian.
"Don't stop cutting them down! They're weak!" yelled a teenage mage as he bombarded the demon lines with his dark magic.
Soon, the trio found themselves surrounded by a horde of Nardiss demons. There were so many that the others couldn't see anything but demons. Sebastian started casting spells, but he couldn't break through the wall of enemies. Suddenly, he shouted while raising his staff high: "SOLDIERS!!!"
At that moment, a wave of warriors broke into the encirclement and clashed with the demons. The trio found space to fight again—Tom resumed his slaughter, Sebastian unleashed devastating spells, and Runari guarded his back. The third group was performing admirably; judging by their battlefield, countless demon corpses were piled up around them.
Away from them, Kevin sprinted at full speed, wielding his twin short swords. Suddenly, a tall demon appeared before him. From the first glance, it was clear this demon wasn't a Nardiss. It was a female with long hair and prominent breasts. She was tall, holding a sharp spear. Her skin was gray, her eyes red. She swiftly raised her spear to stab Kevin—but in an instant, the boy vanished into thin air.
The Crossif glanced around, but saw nothing. All she could see was the sky—raining with daggers wrapped in a gray aura, falling upon her one by one as someone shouted:
The daggers pierced her body, and she collapsed dead in the middle of the battlefield. Kevin moved on, watching the others fight fiercely as well. John swung his greatsword, cleaving through demons, while Susan stood firm with her spear, facing them down. Kevin smiled slightly, as if to say: "Everything's going according to plan."
At the first group's location, heaps of demon corpses had fallen. Atop the pile stood a girl with long golden hair fluttering in the wind. Her aura was golden, her gaze sharp—Linda, the Hero. She wielded her spear and poleaxe, cutting down any demon that approached her with ease. At the base of the corpse pile, Malin stood at a distance, shooting arrows at the demons trying to climb the mound and slay the queen who reigned at its peak.
"Not many left now," Linda murmured as she stared at the approaching demons.
"Let's hurry!" Malin shouted.
"I got you," Linda replied coolly as she descended the mountain of corpses.
She then plunged her spear into the ground and screamed:
At that moment, an incredibly bizarre scene unfolded. Linda released her attack into the earth, but what was strange was that the power continued to surge underground, and then it exploded violently beneath the demons, causing them to burst and their blood to scatter everywhere. Linda then pulled her spear out of the ground and stood beneath the red rain that poured down heavily. If this was one of the rune skills, then it was power manipulation.
"You haven't won yet," muttered a demon with blue skin and thick blue hair as he glared at Linda.
Linda had no desire to talk to him, so she instantly launched her poleaxe, letting it fly on its own before she decapitated him. But as his body dropped to the ground, Linda saw something she hadn't seen before—far from the port, or maybe near it, countless ships were sailing in. Ships bearing a flag with a crown and two long horns... It was the flag of Diablos. The reinforcements had arrived. And this was no ordinary reinforcement.
"Retreat!!!!" one of the knights suddenly screamed.
Everyone began to flee in a hurry, except for the heroes, who remained standing and glaring hatefully at the approaching ships. But one of them was hiding—Stephanie. Unlike the others who watched the ships arrive, Stephanie was hiding behind Linda's back. That's when Linda spoke: "Stephanie, retreat with them."
"But..." muttered the green-haired girl.
"Did you forget the plan?"
After that, Stephanie retreated with the rest of the soldiers to hide inside one of the massive fortress. Thus, the heroes were left alone amid the corpses and blood. In the distance, Diablos' ships drew closer. After waiting quietly for a while, just seconds before the ships docked, everyone raised their weapons.
"Fire!!!!" Linda shouted.
Everyone launched a ranged attack. Thanks to Linda's solid rune skills, she was able to merge her Golden Caster with all the heroes' projectiles, forming a unified strike. The shot glowed with immense power—bright white, surrounded by a radiant golden aura—and it charged toward the ships at terrifying speed.
"The Heroes' Lance."
The ships all exploded, their remains flying across the entire port. With that shot, all the demons should have died. But strangely, they saw no corpses—not even one. The heroes' expressions changed as they stared at the scene in confusion, but it seemed they realized what had happened. They had understood the trick.
"If the fortress is near the port... and the Diablos forces had nearly taken over the port... then they know about the fortress..." John muttered.
"Back to the fortress—now!!!" Linda suddenly screamed, retreating at full speed.
Far from them, inside the fortress, the soldiers were hiding—including Stephanie and Kaily. The place was calm, and some soldiers were even celebrating and drinking. The fortress was a massive palace surrounded by a rocky wall, so it would be hard for demons to breach it—or at least that's what Kaily thought.
"Have you eaten anything?" Kaily asked Stephanie, who was sitting with her.
"No..." Stephanie replied shyly.
"Here," Kaily muttered as she handed her a loaf of bread.
Suddenly, the calm was shattered. Not at the wall—but outside the palace. They heard the screams of demons, and the soldiers began to panic. Everyone was shocked and stood up, grabbing their weapons. Then the first palace window shattered, and a male demon entered—he had long black hair and gray skin, and held a long golden chain.
"Bioliner on Akuva?" the chain demon muttered as he stormed the palace with a number of Nardiss demons.
"What is he saying?" Kaily asked Stephanie, since she could understand all the world's languages.
"He said… 'You think we're stupid'... H-he-he said that..." Stephanie answered, trembling in fear.
It seemed the battle had taken a new turn—one no one expected. An assault on a fortress where soldiers were relaxing would be a disaster. Worse still, if the heroes didn't arrive in time... Here we are, at yet another unexpected peak—one that would be incredibly difficult. Another obstacle stands before Yarum. The battle is fiercer than ever before!